The flower reception hall of the Guangdu Prefect’s Office. Swords drawn, tension at a knife’s edge.

Zhao Zhengzhi: “The murder weapon was identified by your own coroner. How do you account for yourselves now?!”

Jin Ruo: “Are you a walnut-brain? Think about it — when Iron Hai died, we were at Sanxia Station over eighty li outside Guangdu City. Did we fly here to kill someone?”

Zhao Zhengzhi: “That is all your own testimony — there is no evidence.”

Lin Sui’an: “There is the station’s guest registration record as proof.”

Zhao Zhengzhi turned and clasped his hands toward Prefect Che: “This subordinate requests permission to send a carrier pigeon to Sanxia Station to verify the claim!”

Prefect Che stared hard at Fang Ke’s autopsy report — he had already read it three times, as though he wished to tear every character off the page and grind it into his eyes. After a long while, he sighed. He looked at Lin Sui’an with an odd expression, as though wrestling with something in his mind. “Prefect Che naturally believes Lin Niangzi and County Lieutenant Hua.”

Zhao Zhengzhi: “The Hua Clan of Yangdu and the Bai Clan of Qingzhou have long been enemies — motive exists! If we simply let the suspects walk free, how do we answer to the people of Guangdu City when word gets out?!”

Prefect Che frowned. “Enough insolence. Get out.”

Zhao Zhengzhi’s face flushed with anger. He turned to leave. Hua Yitang calmly called after him: “One moment.”

Zhao Zhengzhi looked back. “What do you want now?!”

“Prefect Che’s governance leaves much to be desired — for his men to have shown such discourtesy to Lin Niangzi and County Lieutenant Hua. I hope the two of you will forgive this brusque fellow and not lower yourselves to his level.”

Hua Yitang tapped his folded fan against his palm. “In Hua’s view, Brother Zhao’s suspicion is not entirely without reason.” He glanced at Bai Xiang, who had turned entirely to stone. “A carrier pigeon message would bring a reply in two or three hours at most — checking it out does no harm.”

Bai Xiang suddenly looked up, eyes reddening.

“In the meantime, we can make good use of the opportunity to take a look at the scene of the crime — perhaps we will find other leads.”

Lin Sui’an noticed that when Hua Yitang said this, a brief flicker of surprise passed through Prefect Che’s eyes, while Zhao Zhengzhi’s expression grew even more suspicious. “Are you two planning to tamper with the crime scene?”

“Brother Zhao is welcome to supervise us throughout,” said Hua Yitang. “Would Prefect Che care to come along?”

Prefect Che paused. The sardonic, backhanded quality he had carried before had disappeared without him noticing, though the peculiar sense of conflicted hesitation had grown stronger. “Prefect Che will naturally accompany you. County Lieutenant Hua, please —”

Bai Xiang exhaled a long breath of relief, rubbed his hands together, slapped his cheeks twice, and was just about to follow when Lin Sui’an hooked an arm around his shoulder. Bai Xiang jolted in fright.

“Bai Third Young Master,” said Lin Sui’an, looking steadily at him. “You should prepare yourself.”

Bai Xiang: “For — for what?”

“…The crime scene is rather gory. You had best not go in.”

Bai Xiang nodded blankly.

What Lin Sui’an left unsaid was this: Bai Rong might already be in grave danger.

The murder weapon resembling Qian Jing, the killing technique drawn from the Ten Purity Manual — these two clues brought a possibility to Lin Sui’an’s mind.

The black-clad group from the Yunshuihe River.

Those people were of unknown origin, moved in shadow, killed indiscriminately, and were ruthless in their methods. If this were truly their doing, they would leave no survivors.

Then there was Guangdu Prefect Che Ting’s attitude, which continued to strike her as suspicious — she could not shake the feeling that he was trying to sabotage things in some subtle, underhanded way.

“Che Ting is of common origins — ten to one he owed his rise to the patronage of the Feng Family’s cultural faction. It would be perfectly natural for him to dislike me.” Hua Yitang was unconcerned.

Lin Sui’an’s heart skipped. “You don’t mean Che Ting is also —”

A beneficiary of the Feng Family’s examination fraud?

Hua Yitang gave a small shrug — neither confirming nor denying. After all, the answer to that question was known only to Che Ting and the deceased former leader of the Feng Family. He leaned idly against the cushioned seat, his head swaying left and right with the motion of the carriage like one of those ornamental dolls, studying the illustrated descriptions of key evidence in the case file.

The jade pendant found at the scene was claimed to be Bai Rong’s personal belonging. The original was locked away in the Prefect’s Office evidence vault and could not be removed. From the labeled illustration, the pendant was made of mutton-fat jade — lustrous as the moon, carved with open-work floral patterns. Held up to the light, one could make out the character “Bai.” It had originally been hung on a snow-white tassel, which had since been stained by blood and turned a dark reddish-black.

“Bai Third Young Master, do you recognize this object?” asked Hua Yitang.

Bai Xiang studied the illustration until his eyes ached. “It is indeed something of A’Ye’s. A’Ye has a fondness for jade — he owns more than a dozen similar pendants and rotates through them daily.”

Hua Yitang searched through the file. “Bai Sixteenth Young Master, who confirmed the jade pendant’s identification, also said the same. He also stated that when he paid his respects to the head of the Bai household on the morning of the sixteenth of the third month, the patriarch was wearing this very pendant. Who is this Bai Sixteenth Young Master?”

Bai Xiang: “He’s the son of my third great-uncle — my younger cousin by relation. Spends all his time playing pai gow tiles, completely useless!”

Everyone: “…”

Jin Ruo: “Hearing those words come out of your mouth, I must say — that is quite the spectacle.”

Bai Xiang was indignant at this and pounded his chest with great energy. “I may be a wastrel, but I have my principles — I play, yes, but I never gamble. Not like Bai Sixteenth — gambling every single day, deep in debt, down to pawning the antiques in the ancestral residence in Qiumen Ward. He claims to be paying respects to my father? Nonsense. It was the debt collectors coming after him, and he couldn’t hold out anymore, so he went crawling to my father with his tail between his legs to borrow money!”

Hua Yitang tapped the end of his folded fan against his chin. “Oh — so he’s a gambler.”

Before long, they arrived at Bainye Lane in Qiumen Ward.

A large crowd of spectators had gathered outside the Iron Family Clinic. Government officers and agents from the Prefect’s Office formed a ring facing outward, calling out to maintain order.

Contrary to Lin Sui’an’s expectations, the crime scene preservation had been handled quite properly. Everyone who entered the scene, including Prefect Che and Zhao Zhengzhi, put on specially made shoe covers; shoe covers and gloves were distributed to Lin Sui’an and her companions as well. Based on the material and construction, they appeared to be single-use items.

The main entrance of the clinic faced a landscape screen panel; in front of the panel was a consultation table with brush, ink, and paper. To the left were the medicine cabinet and the service counter. To the right was the patient waiting area. Beyond the screen, heavy bed-curtains had been used to partition two consultation rooms. It was in the eastern consultation room that Iron Hai’s body had been found.

The bloodstains had long since dried. Charcoal lines had been drawn on the floor to mark the position and outline of the body at the time of death. The position of the hands and feet was rather strangely contorted — evidence that the victim had suffered intensely in his final moments. The climate of Qingzhou in the third month was already considerably warm and humid, rivaling Yangdu in the fifth or sixth month. A thick, fetid, metallic smell drifted through the stale, enclosed space. Clusters of glossy black flies circled within the charcoal outline, as if loath to leave — like wronged spirits.

From the moment they entered the clinic, Jin Ruo fell unusually quiet. He furrowed his brow and pressed his lips together, moving lightly and carefully like a cat, exploring every corner with deliberate steps. Occasionally he crouched down, turning his head to look at things against the light, narrowing his eyes to study something closely. His measuring cord traced along the marks on the floor, flipping rapidly through his fingers. Every so often he drew out a small scroll and recorded a few numbers.

Hua Yitang and Lin Sui’an stood back at a distance, not interrupting. Zhao Zhengzhi was at a loss. Prefect Che watched Jin Ruo’s every step and movement with close attention, the casual expression on his face tightening for the first time.

Jin Ruo conducted his examination for a full two quarters of an hour, then stepped back from the scene, reviewed his notes on the small scroll for some time, and looked up.

“On the night in question, four people were present. One was the deceased, Iron Hai.” Jin Ruo first walked to the entrance from the rear residence behind the screen, then circled the screen back to the main entrance. “Iron Hai entered the clinic from the rear residence with long, rapid strides, opened the door, and three people came in from outside. All three were male. For ease of reference, I will call them A, B, and C.”

“Person A was between seven and eight chi tall, roughly one hundred and thirty catties, with a light and unsteady gait. Person B was approximately eight chi and five cun, roughly one hundred and fifty catties, with a firm and powerful step — likely a martial practitioner. Person C was nine chi or taller, roughly one hundred and eighty catties, with one leg unable to bear full weight and dragging — the drag distance between steps was consistent, suggesting either a permanent limp or an old injury.”

Zhao Zhengzhi stared. “How did you work all of that out?!”

Jin Ruo shot him a sideways glance. “By calculating from the footprints and stride lengths they left behind.”

Zhao Zhengzhi drew in a sharp breath.

Prefect Che grabbed Zhao Zhengzhi’s arm and motioned for Jin Ruo to continue.

Jin Ruo turned and walked toward the consultation room. “All four moved to the doorway of the consultation room together — in the order: Iron Hai first, then A, then B and C side by side. Iron Hai, B, and C entered the consultation room; A waited outside the door.” Jin Ruo crouched down and gestured with his finger along the floor. “The blood inside the consultation room is too chaotic to trace the specific movements of the three inside. In any case: after Iron Hai died, B came out, moved through the clinic rummaging through things, and then all three exited together through the back window of the clinic.”

Jin Ruo stepped inside the consultation room, carefully skirting the body outline and the bloodstains, and pushed open the rear window. “The narrow lane beyond is extremely secluded — below is a drainage channel covered with stone slabs. The slabs are hard, and it rained two days ago. No footprints were left, and the three persons’ route of escape cannot be tracked.”

Prefect Che and Zhao Zhengzhi exchanged a glance, their expressions somewhat strained.

“Where was the jade pendant found?” asked Hua Yitang.

Zhao Zhengzhi pointed toward the bed curtain hanging between the two consultation rooms. “…Under here.”

The bed curtain was thick and heavy, draped in multiple layers. Several additional horizontal rods had been attached beneath the main roof beam of the house, and the consultation room’s curtains were hung from these, with the lower hem dragging the floor — clearly intended to serve as a partition wall.

“It was probably dropped by Person A.” Jin Ruo touched the tip of his foot to a small faint white smear on the floor. “Person A fell here.”

The words were barely out of his mouth when Lin Sui’an vaulted upward, both feet hooking onto the main roof beam in a reverse grip, core contracted, body arching back in a curve that defied natural posture, to inspect the condition of the horizontal rods from which the bed curtains were suspended. The position was so profoundly unnatural that Zhao Zhengzhi and Prefect Che stood dumbstruck.

After a brief examination, Lin Sui’an flipped back and landed. “The horizontal rods from which the consultation room’s partition curtains hang show cracking. Five of the hanging rings have been deformed — as though something very heavy was wrenched against them.”

Hua Yitang snapped his fan open with a crisp sound. “The events of that night must have unfolded as follows. Late at night, Iron Hai heard knocking at the clinic door. Upon opening it, he found three people outside, one of whom — Person A — was known to him.”

Zhao Zhengzhi: “How does County Lieutenant Hua know A was someone he knew?”

Jin Ruo: “Because Iron Hai’s stride was long and steady, consistent right up to the moment he opened the door.”

Hua Yitang: “If it had been a stranger, Iron Hai’s pace would have wavered, and upon reaching the door he would have called out to inquire first rather than opening it immediately.” He paused. “B and C were there as patient and accompanying family member. A and B-and-C were not familiar with each other — acquainted at most.”

Prefect Che: “And how on earth is that determined?!”

“Because throughout their movement, A consistently kept a distance from B and C. When Iron Hai treated the patient, A waited outside. If A had been a close acquaintance of B and C, he would naturally have entered the consultation room together with them.” Hua Yitang continued, “During the consultation, for some reason, B and C suddenly killed Iron Hai. A heard the commotion and threw aside the curtain to look — and saw the horrific state of Iron Hai’s body. In his panic, he fell, crashing into the bed curtain, his body bearing down on it and bending the hanging rings and the horizontal rod.”

“Finally, B ransacked the clinic for its money and valuables, and all three escaped through the back window.” Hua Yitang fanned himself and paced to the doorway of the consultation room, gazing at the charcoal outline of the body. “That is the entirety of what transpired on the night of the crime.”

Prefect Che: “Which is to say — Person A is Bai Rong?!”

“It is not him.” Zhao Zhengzhi’s face had gone ashen. He murmured, “Bai Rong is six chi tall and weighs one hundred and eighty-four catties. The description does not match.”

Prefect Che’s expression became unusually grave. He deliberated for some time, then turned and bowed formally toward Lin Sui’an. “Lin Niangzi — it was Prefect Che’s own stubbornness and rigidity that nearly led to a grave miscarriage of justice. I ask sincerely for Lin Niangzi’s assistance in solving this case and apprehending the true culprit.”

This time, Lin Sui’an was genuinely taken aback.

She had actually sensed sincerity from Prefect Che.

What on earth? A sudden change of heart in the span of an instant?

Or was there some other scheme at play?

“Could it be —” Hua Yitang blinked. “Prefect Che knows of the Pure Gate?”

Prefect Che gave a dry laugh. “To be honest, when Che was very young, the family circumstances were poor. To make ends meet, Che traveled throughout the Tang Dynasty for a period with his father, and during that time had the fortunate opportunity to encounter several members of the Pure Gate on a few occasions. He witnessed firsthand the Pure Gate disciples’ skill in tracking and finding people — it was a revelation. But compared to this young Master Jin’s technique of reading traces — well, it was a pond next to the ocean.”

Jin Ruo gave a dismissive sound.

“Lin Niangzi and County Lieutenant Hua truly have remarkable talents hidden in their party. Prefect Che was blind to them before, and begs the two of you not to take it to heart.” Prefect Che clasped his hands. “This case was most likely the work of wandering criminals from the martial world — which is indeed why your assistance is needed.”

“What worries me is that it may not be mere criminals, but something far more troublesome…” Hua Yitang fanned himself and glanced at Lin Sui’an. Lin Sui’an knew he had come to the same conclusion she had — the black-clad group from the Yunshuihe River.

Prefect Che: “In your view, what should the next step in the investigation be?”

Lin Sui’an scratched her head.

Although Bai Rong had been cleared of suspicion, his whereabouts remained unknown, his fate uncertain. Although they knew the type of murder weapon and the number of killers, along with their heights, builds, and the blade technique used — the killers’ identities, appearances, and movements were all still unknown…

The only remaining lead was —

“Go to Bai Sixteenth Young Master’s residence,” said Lin Sui’an and Hua Yitang at the same moment. “He is very likely Person A.”

Side Scene

Prefect Che: Why don’t I have such capable coroners and subordinates under my command? Envy, jealousy, resentment!